Broken glass can be fixed, but a thousand cracks will always remain
by Omegahud
Summary: This is a continuation of the Robotnik war: The Untold Story. Follow Mortifer, a bodyguard to Sally Acorn, as he lives with the side effects of war and tragedy.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N UPDATE:** **So...I decided to come back to this story. Even though I'm working on a big personal project, something about writing these stories is enjoyable for me and keeps calling me back to work on them. I hope over the years of writing I've improved but I'll let ya'll be the judges of that. Now, before you start reading, I'd like to recommend a song to listen to while reading a scene between Sally and Mortifer in chapter 2. Called: I'd be lying by GlasfordProductions. It helped me write that part, so give it a listen while reading that scene. I don't know when I'll do new chapters but it'll mostly revolve around Mortifer being a bodyguard to Sally, and the two of them doing things together.**

 **A/N: For those of you who haven't read the Robotnik war: The untold story, this won't make any sense. For those of you who have, thank you for taking the time to read it. Now onto the reason I wrote this. Ever since I finished that story I always felt like the ending should have been different. I kept going back to it while working on other ideas, as it nagged at me that the last chapter didn't seem to wrap up the story and war properly. But at the same time I wasn't sure I should alter something already done so I turned it into a oneshot. Some of you readers might prefer the original ending, some of you might see this a better ending, but whatever your opinion I wrote this to show a more emotional side of things. In life, we do not always get a happy ending, not everyone is a winner, sometimes you will sacrifice everything to achieve something only to have it slip between your fingers and be lost forever. Just like glass, everyone is shattered with every mistake and misfortune again, again, and again. But every time we piece ourselves back together, there is a new crack in our fragile souls, a new piece of knowledge, a reminder of an error, but something we can learn from, and become stronger from it. And at the end of our lives, with our glass nothing but cracks from being shattered throughout life, we can say "I've made it." and help piece back together those who think their shattered lives can't be fixed. It takes one word to save a life, one word to end a life. So the next time you see a shattered soul, remember that they have cracks just like you, and instead of kicking the pieces around you can help put them back together.**

* * *

" _ **DO IT! DO IT! Please…"**_

"We've arrived your majesty."

Sally came out of her deep thought, as the black armored car she was in, stopped.

"You know you can just call me Sally." Sally huffed at her bodyguards in fine black suits.

Glancing out the window Sally gazed at Knothole, at how beautiful it had become now that the war was over. It was a massive city now, with families walking about freely without a care in the world, many of them catching up on lost time from being roboticized. Tails had seen to de-roboticizing everyone when Robotnik was defeated. It took years, but the little fox did it, and Sally remembered seeing the tears in Sonic's eyes when his Uncle Chuck, was permanently back in his body of flesh.

Sally smiled contently. After that it was just one good thing after another. They got her Father out of the Silent Zone, found out her mother and brother were still alive and well, and everyone pulled together to rebuild, even the Dingos. Then, Sonic asked her to marry him. Now that, that was one of the best days of her life, and every KFF fighter was there to see it, and thank her.

Fiddling with the wedding ring on her finger, Sally's smile turned into a frown, as she remembered why, she was here.

'I admire and enjoy what we accomplished every day I wake up and see Knothole, so the least I can do is remember what we lost.' Sally thought.

The moment Sally pulled the lever on the door, all her bodyguards piled out and surrounded her before she could even put a foot on the ground.

"Just, guard the car or something." Sally ordered them and rolled her eyes at them. Of course her father, had decided to put extra security around his entire family, and when Sally had protested putting guards to protect her and looked to Sonic for support, the darn blue furball just rubbed his neck and smiled sheepishly while agreeing that it was for her safety.

"Don't know if I should hate, or love, my husbands protectiveness." Sally muttered.

Straightening out her blue jacket she walked down the sidewalk. The jacket, shorts and blue boots, was something she had miraculously been able to keep, with how her mother protested the looks, but Sally had to admit she had missed her mother's lectures about dressing properly as royalty. As annoying as it was sometimes, it was just her mother showing how much she cared for her daughter.

Filling her lungs with the cold winter air, Sally tucked her hands into the pocket in her vest, as she trudged along towards her destination.

"What I am supposed to say? After all that happened with nothing to show but death and misery, while others find peace?" Sally questioned herself, while nodding and smiling at a few KFF fighters who passed by, greeting her with salutes and smiles as they celebrated.

Speeches were nothing compared to this, all you did with a speech was talk about victories and losses, but they always ended with some sort of happy words. But this? There was nothing happy about it.

"Mom! Mom! Look! It's Princess Sally!" A little fox girl yelled excitedly, as both her mother, and Sally stopped and greeted each other.

"Just Sall, if you don't mind." Sally said to the girl with a wink.

"Thank you , for what you did for all of us during the war." The girl's mother said, and gave Sally a hug. "Now I don't have to fear for my daughters safety."

Returning the hug, Sally replied quietly. "I didn't do much, it was the KFF fighters that fought and the millions of other rebel fighters that died to give us this."

Her stomach and chest always wrenched themselves at remembering all those battles, and times she had sent soldiers to their deaths. Soldiers who could have been here with family, celebrating what they all fought for.

"No, you gave us hope, led and rallied us when we all gave up on winning, and living." The mother told Sally. "You led us to victory, even though you might not have fought the battles we did, without you we couldn't have won them at all."

Sally held back tears as the mother released her hug, and patted her cheek.

"Could you visit my daddy? He'd be really happy to see you!" The little girl piped in.

Ruffling the girl's hair, Sally answered with "Of course! Is your daddy home?" She shook her little head.

"He's sleeping at the cemetery." Sally's heart sunk at those words.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"It's alright." The Mother said. "He died two years before the war ended, during one of the last major battles." She gave Sally a sad smile. "Because of you, his death wasn't in vain."

"Oh! We gotta go! Or we'll be late for my friends party!" The little girl said and tugged relentlessly on her mother's shirt.

"Alright, let's get going. It was nice seeing you ." And with that, the two left.

'We all lost something in this war. Along with pieces of ourselves.' Sally thought, then shook her head. "I need to stop getting sidetracked!" She chided herself.

Sally sped her up her pace to a jog, and made her way into the cemetery.

It was true, even Tails and Amy seemed different now, as much as it pained Sally to acknowledge. And all it took was being in one battle, when they were coming to rescue her, for it to happen. Sally almost couldn't stand looking Tails in the eyes. Every time she did, she saw that look in them, the look that all KFF fighters, her friends who fought, even Sonic had. The look of something unexplainable they lost, something that had forever changed them.

The sound of a guitar, reached Sally's ears as she came close to her destination, and saw Cream, who was waiting for her with someone else.

They greeted each other with a hug, then Sally spoke in a hushed whisper. "How have things been, how is...he." Both Sally, and Cream stared remorsefully at the Hedgehog playing the guitar beside the tombstone.

Cream held back tears as she replied "Good, me and my mother own hundreds of orphanages and schools now to help the children without families, to give them something to look forward to in life, and prepare them for it when they grow up. We even have another hospital being built."

Sally was filled with warmth inside at Cream and her Mother's efforts to help everyone they could.

Cream was much older now, she had grown into a strong yet meek adult, just like her mother. They didn't just help and save countless lives by building orphanages and hospitals with their wealth. They gave several large lump sums to rebuild cities, helped farms, factories, and even the government get set back up and running again. But even with all their donations and spending, they had countless gold to spare.

The roughly five hundred thousand tombstones going for miles in this cemetery, dedicated to those who fought would never have been made if not for them.

"None of this would have been possible without, my uncles, Woodstock and Mortifer, giving us the locations of their hidden caches. We owe them so much for all they did." Cream told Sally, and wiped a stray tear away. "And yet they never asked for anything in return."

Sally's grief stricken eyes stayed fixated on the Hedgehog playing the guitar. His cybernetic fingers, danced along the strings ever so gently, like they were made of glass, the notes of the tune a diary, filled with so much sorrow, and pure agony. It was as if he was searching, begging, for a moment of happiness to be found in that diary of his, only to relive the memories of how everything was taken from him.

"Why must I live and suffer?" the notes seemed to say. "What have I received? For the price of all those I lost? Where is the reward for all the dead that lay cold and still beneath the ground? Show me, what their sacrifices, my sacrifices, was all worth in the end?"

Feeling something wet, Sally touched her cheek, and realized she was crying.

"He's been keeping himself occupied learning the guitar lately, and taking walks with me." Cream continued. "He still doesn't talk, but he's eating properly now. He still refuses to take his pain medication though, for the physical damage he received. Last night we had to rush him to the hospital because he was in so much pain, the doctors were afraid he'd go critical, but he fought, even with all that pain, he fought anyone who tried giving him painkillers, even mother."

Sally placed a hand over her mouth and turned away so she wouldn't start sobbing.

"She said she still can't get him to open up about the mental scars, or the trauma either." Placing hand on Sally's shoulder, Cream looked at her, desperate for help. "That's why I asked you to do this. Maybe...I don't know….maybe this will help him, by getting back into the only thing he knows?"

"Why call me?" Sally's voice cracked as she asked Cream, as the music from the guitar continued to haunt her. "I did this to him. Because of me he's...broken." Just like that, the memories came flooding back.

It was days after the funeral held for Mortifer and Woodstock, when reports came in about a ghost haunting where they had died. Everyone passed it off as rumors, but Sally didn't. The moment she was healed up, Sally jumped on a ship with Blackjack and flew back to the place of their death. If they were alive she would help them, even if she had to dig them out with her hands for years.

After all, they sacrificed their lives to save hers, and if the data was correct from Nicole, the army of Cyborgs based off Woodstock down there that had been destroyed by some sort of blast they created, would have wiped out the KFF, and any other resistance within days had they not stopped them and deleted Robotnik's data. So in a sense, they owed the brothers everything. But neither Sally, or Blackjack were prepared for what awaited them.

Sally had found him, slumped against the remains of a Swatbot, missing his left arm that had been torn off from the elbow down, with only the mangled flesh and bone for a stump left. One of Mortifer's legs was sliced and stabbed so badly, that it looked about ready to fall off. How he had not bled out Sally had no idea.

She had fallen to her knees in shock, and wept as she reached out to make sure he was still alive.

Suddenly, Mortifer looked up at her, and grasped her hand with his only arm. The skin on his face was covered in third degree burns, and places where armor was missing, showed that his entire body was burned like that. Later they found out that Woodstock's personal shield he built for Mortifer had activated, and just barely had enough power to save Mortifer's life.

His arm trembled as he put Sally's hand against his head.

"Kill me."

Sally had try pulling her hand back in horror, at realizing he wanted her to kill him with her energized blades, but his grip held her hand in place.

"Do it." He begged, as Sally radioed for an emergency medevac.

"DO IT!" Mortifer screamed.

"DO IT! DO IT! Please…"

That was the only time Sally ever saw Blackjack cry, when they got Mortifer on the plane.

What followed was an absolute nightmare.

They had to replace his arm and leg with cybernetic ones, and he constantly screamed in pain whenever he was awake, even with medication, until his voice gave out. The doctors believed that the the pain meds were working, but, his mind was traumatized, and was constantly reliving it all over again.

Eventually, he came to, but Mortifer then started staring at nothing, as if no one existed, even when Blackjack, Vanilla, and Cream visited him.

Only a part of Mortifer's mind came back when he was healed enough to be in a wheelchair, and they took him to see Woodstocks grave.

For hours, he stared at the grave stiffly, as if waiting for his cybernetic brother to jump out and yell "Haha! Told you I was invincible!" from behind the tombstone. Until he realized, Woodstock wouldn't.

Slinging his burnt holsters with his damaged duel pistol over the tombstone, Mortifer patted the top of the tombstone, like he was patting the head of a child, like how he always patted his brothers head, before wheeling himself back to his room.

Blackjack couldn't stand seeing Mortifer so broken, and went on to stay on the front lines for the rest of the war.

Knuckles, would come to visit time to time, and tell Mortifer about his plans to keep the Chaos emeralds safe, not caring that talking to Mortifer was a one sided conversation.

Vanilla and her daughter Cream, came everyday to help Mortifer with his daily needs, and every night, Vanilla would hug Mortifer and sing him to sleep.

Sally never could bring herself to face Mortifer, not after her causing him and his brother to be stuck down there and left to die because of her. But she had seen glimpses of a distraught Vanilla as Mortifer slept, weeping "What did we do to deserve you. What did we do for you to take our place, and sacrifice you and your brother's hearts of gold.

For months, Sally couldn't sleep at night, with her mind always knowing, that if she had just done one thing different, just one thing, Mortifer and his brother would be fine right now.

It took Sonic and all her friends combined to keep Sally from stepping down as the leader of the KFF.

When the day finally came and they defeated Robotnik, Mortifer stayed at Woodstocks grave, while everyone celebrated.

"Because we both know my uncles would have done the same for any of us, that they would have sacrificed what they did to save you, to save the rest of us." Cream comforted Sally. "So don't blame yourself. As soldiers they viewed it as their duty to sacrifice everything for others. And Woodstock would hate it if he knew you blame yourself for their choice to do so."

Sally nodded and scrubbed the tears away. She had to do this, after all she owed them everything. The freedom from Robotnik, the safety of the families and citizens in Knothole, even their new kingdom and getting to see her family again, and living to marry Sonic and have a happy life.

Slowly, Sally approached Mortifer who seemed oblivious to her, as he continued his sorrowful song while staring, with his only eye, at Woodstock's grave, hoping his brother could hear it. His scar covered face was like a battered, blank slate.

"If you want, I could give a job."

Mortifer stopped playing his guitar, and turned to face Sally as she spoke, surprising her.

For moment Sally fell silent, this was the first time she had visited him after all him and Woodstock had done for her and the KFF. But there wasn't any malice, or anger like she had expected, just empty, hollow eyes.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sally refused to break eye contact with Mortifer as she continued.

"I'm going to be travelling to dozens of different, and new countries that have formed since the fall of Robotnik. And will be doing a lot of negotiating for peace with all of them but, most of them will be hostile at first as they try and clamber for power and territory. I need someone I can trust for when things get bad."

Mortifer remained silent, but his eye was now focused on the rusted pistols on Woodstock's tombstone.

"My father's bodyguards don't have your skills, and your one of the few I can trust to have my back when Sonic and my friends aren't around."

She hated asking him this, asking him to be her bodyguard after what Mortifer and his brother did for her.

Even her father hated her doing it, mostly because he regretted sending Mortifer's battalion, his family, to die, but also because her father was afraid of losing his daughter to Mortifer. No matter how much she reassured him Mortifer only despised him and had no intention of vengeance, and had even saved her own life, he still didn't want to risk it. But, they were out of options of how to get him back in his right mind, and maybe him going with her and seeing all that he had saved would help.

Maybe Mortifer doing the only thing he knew how to do, being a soldier, would help.

"So, do you want the job?" Sally asked and stuck out her hand.

If it helped him, even just a little, Sally would jump on the chance to do it, no matter how much she hated it, she owed Mortifer that much.

Raising his cybernetic arm beside his normal arm, Mortifer stared at it for a moment, then glanced back at his duel pistols, before looking at Sally again.

 **A/N: Let me know what you guys would like to see more of and what you thought of this little oneshot.**


	2. Chapter 2

" _ **The nightmares of war are never ending. Like how the waves of the ocean leave their mark on the sand as it crashes against it over and over again, so too do the nightmares of war repeat themselves in the minds of the survivors."**_

* * *

"Shhh. It's okay Mortifer, its okay, your just having a flashback." Cream gently whispered to Mortifer as she hugged him. 'How could I forget something so important!' Cream chastised herself mentally while stroking Mortifer's quills.

It had started out like any other day in the house Cream, Vanilla, and Mortifer shared. Vanilla had gone to take care of a finance meeting for the hospitals and orphanages, while Cream did her daily routine of helping Mortifer. She made sure the water for his shower was lukewarm, helped him tie the laces to his combat boots since the fingers of the cybernetic hand made it impossible for Mortifer to properly grip things. But the mistake, the thing she had accidentally forgotten to keep out of their daily routine, was cooking anything with the stove with Mortifer present.

To anyone it would be normal, she put butter in a skillet, and cracked open a few eggs that sizzled as they fell in and cooked.

Right as the eggs touched the pan and sizzled, Mortifer, who had been sitting at the table staring at his black coffee, jerked his head up, his hazel eye white with fear.

The moment Cream heard the coffee cup break from the black and orange hedgehogs cybernetic arm, she realized her mistake and quickly shut off the oven eye and disposed of the sizzling eggs.

By the time she had made it to Mortifer, he was holding his head as his whole body trembled, his mind reliving the pain of burning alive. She scooted him and his chair back so no more of the scalding hot coffee would drip onto his black pants. Though it wouldn't change anything since he couldn't feel any pain, the third degree burns covering his entire body had rid him of his pain receptors. That was the main reason Cream had to check the temperature of Mortifer's shower water, of his coffee before he drank any, and his food before he ate.

'Why did I even suggest Mortifer protecting Sally, much less get my mother and Sally to agree to it? Mortifer isn't in the mental condition for such line of work!' Cream wasn't sure why she decided to have these thoughts the day Mortifer was to meet with Sally to begin his work, and not before.

As if sensing Creams doubts, Mortifer broke out of his flashback, and stared at the oven. Placing his fist on the table to help him stand, Mortifer slowly approached the stove while Cream silently held her breath, and watched.

Slowly, he slid the pan back onto the oven eye, turned it back on, then grabbed an egg from the basket and stared at it. Suddenly Mortifer held it over the skillet as he tried to break it open with both his hands, only to accidentally crush it with his cybernetic arm instead of breaking it open.

Cream winced as it happened, reminding herself that she needed Tails to come by again and upgrade Mortifer's arm. As egg yolk and egg shells fell into the still hot pan and sizzled, Mortifer stared down at it, his face a blank slate like it almost always was now.

Cream now realized what Mortifer was doing. Mortifer, was facing his fear to try and prove to Cream that he wasn't going to freeze up while protecting Sally.

Slowly approaching Mortifer so she wouldn't startle him, Cream put a gentle hand on his shoulder, and turned the oven eye off.

"If it's alright with you uncle, we could get something to eat on our way there?" After turning to stare at her for a moment, to make sure he had shown her he wouldn't falter, Mortifer nodded silently.

As they both went to clean up the mess on the table, Mortifer picked up a large Dragoon revolver from it and holstered it. Something Cream and Vanilla had bought Mortifer when he agreed to become Sally's bodyguard. He had been training with it the last few months as he got back into shape, dusting off his old instincts and fighting skills.

Running his cybernetic hand over the gun and bullet pouch on his side, Mortifer was reminded how it was just like his old revolver, the one that had been incinerated during the blast.

"Alright, I guess our first stop is Leos place for breakfast, then the palace. Are your ready uncle?" Cream asked as she put the rag in the sink. Taking a deep breath, Mortifer nodded yes.

With a sympathetic smile, Cream adjusted the eyepatch over Mortifer's right eye, before they went outside to the car.

Unknown to Mortifer, Cream had his pain medications that he refused to take in her pocket. Cream was praying that Sally would be able to convince her uncle to take it, when the almost unbearable pain that hit his body at random happened.

* * *

"Sister, you are still actually serious about using just, him?" a brown Mobian squirrel with blue eyes bushy eyebrows and a long tail asked Sally. He wore a variation of the typical blue uniform associated with the Acorn monarchy, accented in reds and golds, but lacking the epaulettes.

"Why not? Like I've told both you and father, he's a battle hardened veteran, who our father on multiple occasions used as a bodyguard for our entire family." Sally whispered back at her brother. Unlike her family, Sally wore an azure denim vest, azure knee-high boots,White gloves with her signature Ring Blades, a black tank top, and black skin-tight shorts with white trim. Despite her families protest, Sally never liked wearing fancy royal clothes.

While they argued, Mortifer stared blankly at a skunk with a beret that had been sizing him up since he arrived at the palace.

Sally's brother, Elias, pinched the bridge of his nose while keeping one hand behind his back in a military posture. Ever since hearing that Sally had refused the entire security detail hand picked by the skunk, and head of the secret service, Geoffrey, Elias had been arguing with Sally for months. Trying to convince her that trading a group of highly trained bodyguards for one hedgehog, Mortifer of all hedgehogs, was a mistake that could cost her own life. Surprisingly, her own husband, Sonic, had agreed with her even after Elias lectured him about caring for the safety of his wife, and princess of the royal family.

"You do realize he blamed our father for the deaths of his mercenary group, and the death of his own father? That he threatened to kill our father if his brother, Woodstock, didn't survive the operation that saved his life? And according to his psychological profile, he is mentally unstable, and mute?" He was taken back by the glare Sally sent his way before staring at the Hedgehog that was dressed in all black civilian clothes sorrowfully.

"Yes. But Mortifer rallied his soldiers and held off the entire Overlander army that would have crushed our kingdom. Mortifer, helped end the Overlander war. Mortifer saved my life, and the lives of everyone fighting Robotnik at the cost of his brothers, and nearly his own." Sally countered her brother, while trying to reign in her emotions.

Elias sighed when he noticed the defiant gleam in her eyes that meant she wasn't going to back down.

"I see." Elias muttered. "This is less about personal safety, and more about you feeling that we owe this Hedgehog for all that he's is why I disagree with you using only him." Sally crossed her arms, while Elias put both arms behind his back as they stared each other down.

Sally wasn't the only one with a stubborn streak, if her brother believed he was right, he wouldn't back down no matter what she said until proven wrong, or their father told him to. For a minute silence filled the white hallway with its arches and expensive paintings, as both stood on the fancy red carpet, carefully thinking out their next words.

It was akin to a game for the two growing up, who could word things just right so the other couldn't argue back? Most likely, the habit had started after watching their father argue with politicians and ambassadors. And of course being siblings, they had picked these skills up mainly to use against each other in any disagreement they had.

"Then set up a test if your so concerned he's not good enough." Sally spoke first. Grabbing his chin thoughtfully, Elias ran the idea over in his head.

"So a mock attempt on your life? Not a bad idea I suppose." Elias replied and motioned Geofrey over to him. "Very well, I can agree to that. However, I suggest we use something besides living targets due to that...thing strapped to his side." Elias discreetly pointed at the Dragoon revolver on Mortifers hip. Mortifer seemed too preoccupied staring at the wall in front of him to notice.

"And he'll need a royal guards uniform."

"Deal." Sally replied with a smirk. 'You have no idea what he's capable of.' She thought to herself.

For a long time they discussed what and how to do it, once the fine details had been planned out, Sally called Mortifer over as a servant came with a fresh uniform and black knee high polished boots, and a standard royal guard sidearm and holster.

"I'll show you where a changing room is." Sally told Mortifer, then led him down the halls past countless doors and medieval armor on display with swords. Opening a door to a room filled with fancy carpets, furniture and curtains to the large windows, Sally handed Mortifer the uniform and pointed at one of the many changing rooms.

As she waited patiently, Sally contemplated on the mock attempt on her life. They agreed to use mechs, so Mortifer wouldn't accidentally kill any Royal Secret Service members, and to stack the odds against him with a few surprises.

'The maids won't be too happy when this is over, or mother.' Sally thought and pulled out her phone, ready to send a message to Elias whenever Mortifer was ready. Geofrey had already alerted all security teams that a mock fight was about to ensue, no doubt many would be watching, and betting.

" **Is he ready? What is taking so long?"** Sallys ever impatient brother texted.

'It has been a long time' Sally thought worriedly to herself. Long enough for her to scroll through all the new fake, but supposed "Royal scandals" in the news. Seriously, who had the time to come up with these stories?

"Mortifer? You good in there?" Sally asked concerned as she knocked on the door. As she asked that, Sally facepalmed at her ignorance. "He can't talk." With a sigh Sally was about to tell him to respond with one or two knocks when the door opened.

As Sally looked over his Uniform, Mortifer seemed to be trying his best not to make eye contact.

The black knee high boots, dark blue pants, black gloves, a blue double breasted frock coat with six gold buttons, and a red upturned collar in Sally's opinion matched Mortifer rather well. The black belt that had a sheathed saber with an energized blue blade looped on it, something Rotor had helped design for all royal guards, and the compact semi auto silver pistol with the holster across his chest with magazine pouches made Mortifer with his eyepatch and scarred face, seem more intimidating.

Sally was wanting to ask where he left his oversized revolver, but the six gold buttons kept catching Sallys eyes.

'Why did he leave them unbuttoned?' Sally thought as Mortifer walked past her, his hand movements indicating he was messing with the buttons on the frock coat. Texting her brother that he was ready Sally looked back up at Mortifer, and realized he was still doing the buttons.

"Mortifer, is something wrong with the buttons on the uniform?" Sally asked out of confusion. Mortifer stiffened at her question, clenched his fist hard enough for the leather gloves to creak, then turned to face her with his blank face. Frustration could be seen in his eye as he opted to look out the window instead of at Sally herself. She also noticed that when he raised his hands, there was a moment of hesitation.

That's when it clicked in her head: The fingers on his cybernetic arm were too bulky, and his other hand was disfigured by the burns he had suffered.

"Mortifer." Sally said gingerly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of." Smoothing the wrinkles out of the frock coat and adjusting it, Sally slowly buttoned each one. Gently placing one hand on Mortifer's cheek Sally turned his head so he'd look at her, while she finished buttoning the jacket up with her other hand.

A Hazel eye filled with guilt, burdens, and pain, met dark blue eyes that understood and had felt some of that pain and guilt, had carried some of those burdens. But in the end, Sally got her happily ever after, while Mortifer lost everything to turn the tide of a war he didn't even want to fight in.

"It's okay, Mortifer, even the strongest of trees need the rain, despite them never asking for it." Sally quoted one of her favorite authors, and embraced Mortifer in a hug. Though Mortifer remained stoically silent, Sally could feel his cybernetic arm trembling as he lowered his head onto her shoulder.

"These scars, these injuries to your body, are nothing to be ashamed of." Sally whispered. "It shows everyone just how far you'll go to protect others, and that you never give up even if the odds are against you." She was slightly surprised when his arms returned the embrace, but Sally smiled when he did. "That's why I chose you, and no one else."

 **A/N: Welp, let me know what things you'd like to see in this fanfic. Romance, drama, action, more focus on touching moments etc. I enjoy writing these, and want you guys to have some fun too.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Heads up poll is up on my profile so you guys n gals can help choose the direction this story goes. For the last scene with Mortifer and Sally I'll place a star for when to play the music. I recommend listening to the music box version of Halo 2 Unforgotten(Yes I'm a huge Halo fan).**

Trying to control a warrior full of rage is like trying to control the wind. You can funnel it, build a wall to block it, or hunker down as it passes over, but you cannot control the when or how it comes nor the ferocity and direction from which it strikes.

* * *

"Have you both gone mad?" King Maximus asked his son, Elias, as they stood inside the palace.

"Forgive me father, but I didn't expect Mortifer to go to such...extreme measures." Elias shamefully apologized as they both stared at the decimated royal palace.

Large chunks of the walls, or entire sections had been blown out, bullet holes from shots of an over sized pistol that had went through multiple walls to hit enemies riddled the walls and ceiling. And to top it all off, dozens of doors had been torn off their hinges along with the medieval armor for display, and was piled up to form two barricades in one of the hallways.

"Had I known he'd make improvised explosives of such magnitude and physically cause so much collateral damage, I'd never have done it inside the palace." Elias tried to reassure his father as they walked down the hallway. Maids and servants moved around them as they tried to repair everything, with all of them sending glares at the prince for making them have to basically remodel this part of the palace.

"Son, if you attacked Mortifer inside a room made entirely of plushies, he'd grab one and either find a way to strangle you, or smother you to death with it." Maximus told his son, with a hint of fear hidden beneath his voice. "Anything is a weapon, or can be turned into one with someone like him. I know because I read his mission reports when we hired him and his brother, watched the footage from their missions."

"I see why Sally said he alone would be enough to protect her." Elias muttered. "But his past hatred for you still concerns me." Maximus's shoulders slumped, making Elias panic thinking he shouldn't have brought it up.

"Yes, it concerned me as well." Maximus told his son before he could say anything. "Though from what I've been told, from what I've seen, Mortifer has let go of blaming me for what happened to his family, even with him having every right to do so." Raising a hand to silence his son before he could protest that Mortifer was wrong for blaming him, Maximus continued. "That being said, both me and your mother are still weary of Sally's decision. But she led the KFF to victory against Robotnik when all was thought to be lost, so we will trust her judgment for now-."

Stopping mid stride, Maximus worriedly leaned down and picked up several pieces of something and inspected it.

"What is it father?" Elias asked out of concern, as his father let out a groan. "This was your mother's very expensive limited edition makeup kit I bought for her birthday last month, her favorite one to be exact."

"But how?" Elias asked as he tried to picture Mortifer making an improvised bomb out of a makeup kit.

"Let's, just worry about replacing it before your mother returns home tonight."

* * *

"I've made the worst mistake of my life." Sally muttered and held her head in her hands. "Father, Elias can smooth things over with since he wants to be on his good side all the time. But mother? I'm never going to hear the end of this." As she sat in the back leather seat of a standard secret service black SUV, Sally kept seeing the destruction Mortifer caused to the palace in a blur as he ran with her, detonating explosives and throwing hand made grenades from household items. He obliterated the remaining training bots with ease using devastating kicks and his saber, then proceeded to shoot those waiting in other rooms and on the roof to ambush him through the walls with his Dragoon revolver that had been hidden in his frock coat.

"As if all her decorations and paintings being shot and blown up wasn't enough to make her hate me, you had to make a bomb from her makeup kit." The leather seat creaked as Mortifer turned and stared back at her with his signature blank slate expression as they waited in traffic.

He had only just learned it was a test a few minutes ago when he had carried and threw Sally into a random vehicle outside the palace, before burning rubber and breaking through the fencing around the courtyard. Sally still had no idea why he took a vehicle when he had his speed. After that, Sally spilled the entire thing to him, and assured him it was best they go someplace else for the time being, possibly for a couple of days or a week.

Her mother's unrivaled wrath and lectures was something the entire Acorn family tried to avoid at all costs.

"Back with the KFF I helped a little when we made improvised bombs, but still, how did you even do that?" Sally asked aloud. Raising a hand in response Mortifer prepared to answer her, but Sally waved it off. "You know what, I probably wouldn't understand even if you told me." Turning back around Mortifer went back to staring at the traffic in front of them again.

"I'm not overreacting if that's what you think." Sally huffed at Mortifer as she met his stare in the rear view mirror. Turning the radio on Mortifer focused back on the road as traffic cleared up.

As they turned down an old dirt road and headed into a forest, Sally hummed to the newest pop song, while her thoughts drifted to her duties so as not to focus on her mother's wrath.

'This will probably be one of the last weeks I get to relax. We need to create alliances with other countries while all of us are still helping each other rebuild, before everyone starts grabbing for power again.' Noticing they had parked at their destination, Sally opened her door and took a deep calming breath while soaking in the warmth of the sun and the sound of a familiar waterfall in the distance.

Staring at the small waterfall and pond as she stepped out, Sally was overcome with nostalgia and sweet relaxing memories. The private moments she and Sonic had shared here, moments of joy, anger, sadness, loss, and peace. Sally remembered everything they had shared in that brutal war against Robotnik.

Abruptly Sally's hair was ruffled and pulled down to cover her eyes and face. Sally slapped the hand away angrily and turned to yell at someone ruining the one moment of peace she was having. Expecting her husband to be behind her smirking, thinking something so childish was funny. She was shocked to find it was Mortifer, who suddenly slipped his frock coat over her shoulders and took off his eyepatch as well, placing it over her right eye.

Putting his hands behind his back and standing like a commander contemplating, Mortifer discreetly motioned with his head to their left, not caring that his damaged eye, cybernetic arm, and scars covering his arm, as he had only a black short sleeve shirt and bulletproof vest on, were in the open for all to see. Facing away from the direction he had motioned with, Sally noticed the swarm of reporters and paparazzi approaching from the dirt road that Mortifer had turned his back to. That's when it all made sense to Sally.

Mortifer was creating an illusion that it wasn't princess Sally, like the reporters had thought they tracked, but someone of high rank within the secret service. Protecting her privacy, while also protecting her life in case any assassins tagged along with the media, since news reporters would track down anyone they wanted, legally, or illegally, without repercussions.

"Shall I dispatch these civilians before they disturb you, sir?" Sally asked Mortifer, with a random fake accent she had heard once, loud enough to make the horde of cameras freeze.

Keeping his back turned so they wouldn't see his injured eye, Mortifer raised a hand dismissively.

On the inside, Sally was smiling and enjoying turning the tables on the reporters who constantly spied on her personal life.

Pretending to be hearing orders through an earpiece, Sally approached Mortifer and leaned in to whisper into his ear, but waited a second to make sure the press had their hot mics on.

"King Maximus wants his daughter escorted from the palace to her home right away, sir." Sally feigned surprise when the reporters murmured what she had just said and started rushing off to wait at her house.

"You've got to be kidding!" Sally groaned, just to add a small dramatic effect while putting a finger to her fake earpiece. "This is Romanoff, get backup at the palace for that escort, you've got the press heading for Princess Sally!" After waiting to make sure all the press had gone, Sally couldn't help but laugh.

⭐ "Who knew I could get some peace and quiet from just changing my wardrobe?" While Sally enjoyed her small victory, Mortifer took all of his stuff back with his blank expression and waited for Sally to gather herself.

"I'm sorry. I rarely get to do anything fun." Sally apologized once she had calmed down, and approached the pond with Mortifer. "Every little thing I do, every word I say, gets picked apart and stretched into lies and rumors for the entertainment of others." Sally sighed peacefully and plopped down beside the pond, closing her eyes while Mortifer stood watch.

"Thank you for that. This may be the last time I'll be able to slow down and enjoy myself for months. It helps a lot."

After a long time just relaxing, Sally frustratingly tried multiple times, even splashing water onto it, to no avail as she tried to fix her hair. And though Mortifers blank expression never changed, Sally could of swore for just a moment, she saw a bit of joy in his eye as he remembered something.

'Woodstock...he always loved relaxing underneath a waterfall.' Mortifer thought to himself, his single eye becoming fixated on the cascading water.

"And to think, the first time we met threatened to kill me." Sally said to Mortifer quietly. "And now look at us, helping each other out as friends." looking down at Sally, Mortifer remembered those days. Just him and Woodstock against the world, doing supply runs to survive as they roamed. Sally had never learned that it was Mortifer that had pulled them out of the crashed ship, only telling them that it had been Woodstock that had saved them, even though Mortifer had pulled them out.

'No, it was Woodstock and his soft heart.' Mortifer told himself. 'You would have left them to die if he had never stubbornly insisted we get them out. Woodstock will always be a better person, than you'll ever be.'

Sally wanted to say more about the one mission her and Mortifer fought together in the Robotnik war, to laugh over the stupid grudges they had for each other, even talk about the time they fought side by side against impossible odds down in that underground base, wanted to thank him for him and his brothers sacrifices. But she knew, had seen, the nightmares and PTSD he suffered from that mission, and the trauma of losing the only family he had left because he accepted that single mission.

So instead she brought her knees up to her chin and sat with him silently as they watched the waterfall.

Some of their fondest memories in their lives, were the precious moments they shared with their respective families and friends in the hell, that was the ten year war against the cruel Robotnik. However crazy it sounded, that was how they, and many others found peace in their lives. Remembering the small moments, that's what got them through life when they were down on their knees, helped them to live every day without those they had lost.

 **A/N: Next few chapter might be getting into aggressive negotiations and some fighting possibly ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I recommend Loneliness by Adrian von Ziegler. When to start song as always is marked by a gold star.**

What would you give to end a war to save the lives of millions? Almost all immediately say, "I would give my own life!" but would you? Though many think it would be themselves that would be sacrificed, the real question in war, is who must you sacrifice to end it? The soldier beside you? Your friend? Kin? Would you be willing to trade the life of your brother, or sister, to end such a conflict before more lives were taken? These are the horrible questions that a leader must answer when faced with war.

* * *

"Stop selling weapons? Do you think I'm stupid? I know your country secretly provides weapons to the opposing warlords that benefit and protect your new rising nation, Princess." The Dingo replied to Sally angrily and crossed his muscular arms across his damaged bulletproof vest. The metal folding chair beneath him creaking from the weight as he stared across the metal table. His dark brown fur was similar to his soldiers around him, along with the ragtag clothing.

Each one carried BXC-200 laser rifles, that they also sold to whoever could buy one.

"And you provide weapons to those who give you money or benefit you, don't you?" Sally replied. Honestly she had no idea the Acorn kingdom was providing support to warlords, but it would make her look naive and not well informed if she let the Dingos know that. And right now Sally did not need that with the way this alliance meeting was going.

'Eli, and Geoffrey are probably the ones helping the warlords for something in return. When I get back those two will have a lot of explaining to do' Sally thought angrily, and leaned forward on her folding chair.

Currently her and Mortifer were in a damaged house in a war torn Dingo city, surrounded by Dingo soldiers, with their leader who would do anything to make a profit, even kidnap royalty at a diplomatic meeting. But they didn't have much choice really. The old Dingo leader fighting for control, Von Strucker, wanted to conquer all those he could. However Eric, the leader Sally was talking too didn't care about conquering as long as he held some power and made money.

"Which is exactly why I won't stop." Eric told her and bared his canines. Sally let out a sigh upon seeing that all too familiar gleam in his eye, Eric was about to do something that wouldn't end well. But Sally met his gaze with a smirk, confusing Eric's men. They had no idea what she was capable of, no idea what Mortifer could do in a fight.

"Even with your numbers, we have the upper hand." Sally told Eric, and all the other Dingos in the room, before it became deathly silent in the house.

'Ugh! Why do I always have to pretend to be so mean when negotiating! I hate threatening other Mobians, and hurting them! Why do I have to resort to violence so often?' Sally groaned in her head while keeping a fake dangerously calm expression.

Mortifer was outside the room per Erics rules to meet him, but they were unaware of Mortifer's telekinetic abilities, and that Sally had given him a signal with her hand that she placed on her lap. If need be Mortifer would jump in to help her, but Sally had told him to let her handle Eric and the three other Dingos in the room, so he would be willing to negotiate with her after taking them down.

Within a heartbeat the chaos began.

Raising an arm Sally formed a blue energized shield as lasers lit up the dimly lit room, and she charged towards Eric who calmly sat there. All three Dingos attacked at once from different directions, had it not been for Sally's experience of fighting against impossible odds in the Robotnik war, they would have gotten her.

Activating her second gauntlet, a blue energy sword formed in her other hand with the tip being just long enough to touch one of the Dingo's chest, which knocked him unconscious and blew him against the wall.

Sending more power into the blade and dropping to her knees with the shield as the one on the left fired at her exposed legs, Sally swung the blade upward and sliced the rifle to the Dingo on the right before launching herself at the one shooting and slamming the shield full force into his head.

Sally cried out in pain as Eric, who had been waiting for the right moment, slammed his fist against her right leg the moment she launched forward and knocked out his soldier with the shield. As her knee painfully buckled and she collapsed Sally barely had time to raise up her shield as Eric pounded on it, then kicked it. That sent Sally skidding back into the wall, knocking the breath out of her as Eric and the last soldier who had discarded his rifle for a sidearm, approached.

Panting from the pain, Sally's mind raced with ways to make it out of the situation.

"So, what? You kidnap me for ransom? None of you stand a chance against Sonic's speed." Sally told them defiantly, trying to buy time, she now had a plan.

"Like I would risk my business keeping you." Eric chuckled as he pulled out his own semi auto pistol. "No, Eggman would buy you and deal with the repercussions while I keep the money, risk free."

'Of course.' Sally thought as she waited for Eric and his guard to get closer. 'Eggman no doubt paid him to set up a meeting with the Acorn kingdom, knowing I would come. Mortifer was right about this being a trap.'

After the war ended, Sonic and the gang had been busy stopping the shenanigans of another crazy bald psycho with a horrible mustache that claimed to be related to Robotnik, though unlike his predecessor, his plans rarely succeeded, or failed at the end even when they did succeed.

'Now!' Deactivating her sword, Sally snatched up the rifle of the soldier she had just knocked out, and fired one round each into the last soldiers shoulders, then shot one laser into Eric's knee as he rushed her, making him almost collapse right on top of her.

Forming her sword again, Sally brought it up to Eric's throat, right as he pulled down her shield and put his pistol in her face.

"A...knee, for a knee?" Eric laughed painfully while Sally glared at him. "Alright, alright, I'm willing to hear you out once more. But only once more, so it better be good." Eric said as he raised his hands, and slowly holstered his pistol. Both of them grunted and winced in pain while readjusting their positions.

Sally knew what would have to be done, but she hated it, wished she had another option besides giving a warlord money to kill and pillage with, but at the moment it was the only thing that would work and keep people safe in the new Acorn kingdom.

"You stop selling weapons to Eggman for his robots, and the warlords committing atrocities and…" Sally swallowed the lump in her throat at the thought of it. "And the Acorn kingdom will buy weapons and ammo from you in mass numbers to arm our military that is still being organized." Eric perked up and his eyes gleamed at the offer. Sally reminding herself it was better for the former KFF military that had low grade weapons to be better armed than their enemies to defend the freedom of the people, but it still didn't sit right in her conscious.

"I could make triple the profit selling to your large army." Eric muttered. Grabbing the table for support he stood up as Mortifer opened the door, saber in hand but with the energy that ran along the blade gone, due to the sword being broken in half.

Sally almost didn't hear Eric agree to the terms or see him leave, not caring for his soldiers except the one shot in the shoulders that was helping him walk, since she was horrified at the sight of so much blood covering Mortifer's uniform, and dripping down his broken saber.

Wiping the blade on one of the knocked out guards before sheathing it, Mortifers knees seemed to be trembling as he clenched his fist.

Unknown to Sally, because Mortifer asked Cream and Vanilla to not tell anyone, Mortifer could only run so far before his legs burned and ached due to the severe injuries he received from the explosion that killed Woodstock, sometimes even when he didn't use them the pain would become unbearable, coming and going randomly. That was why he took the SUV during the test with Sally. But he refused any pain medication for it, not because he didn't want the pain to stop or hated medicine, but due to something personal.

"You killed them?" Sally asked Mortifer as he knelt and felt her knee. Glancing up with a blank expression, the look in his eye seemed to ask why it was a bad thing.

Sally sucked air through her teeth as Mortifer touched her dislocated knee. Trembling from the pain, Sally took ragged breaths and stared at Mortifer.

"Promise me, please, no more killing unless absolutely necessary." Sally hoarsely asked Mortifer. She wasn't sure if that was a yes, but after a moment he shrugged before moving her head all around before checking her entire body for other wounds. "Mortifer, just use your telekinesis so we can hurry this up." Sally pleaded from the pain that racked her body.

She became puzzled when Mortifer stiffened at the mention of it before pretending nothing happened as he lifted her up.

In pain, agitated, stressed and sore, Sally decided she'd try talking to Mortifer about it later.

When they came out of the room, Sally turned her head to look away from the gruesome scene in the house, but once again found herself staring at his bloodied uniform.

Dingo soldiers, 40 at the least, were scattered about and sliced apart, a few with their internal organs either hanging out or had their body sliced open enough to see them. Many had their heads missing, and pools of blood covered the floor, but Mortifer walked through them not caring for the bloodied trail he was leaving.

'He fought in the Overlander war, he fought living beings, while I fought against robots. To him this is nothing new, and to think he grew up doing it without a choice.' Sally thought to herself.

Though their mindset on killing was entirely different, Sally knew why Mortifer did things like this easily after learning his past so long ago. But she prayed that she could keep Mortifer from having to kill another living being for the rest of his life, to give him the choice of living how he wanted.

Retrieving the other half of his saber embedded in the wall behind a decapitated body, Mortifer took off with Sally.

His almost Sonic like speed and Echidna strength had broken the saber with the first blow, something Mortifer would take into account when replacing the blade.

* * *

"I could have cooked it myself." Sally grumbled as she blew on the cooked canned soup Mortifer had just given her.

He had her sitting on the only bed in the room, that was one wrong move from falling apart with old sheets, and her leg splinted and bandaged with an icepack on it.

Mortifer said nothing as he gathered up his bloodied gloves, frock coat, and pants, he was going to take them to the old washer down the hall then wash the blood from his face and boots, before eating something himself.

"As much as you take that thing off, I'm starting to think you dislike it." Sally joked, since Mortifer once again only had his bulletproof vest and black short sleeve on with one of his own spare black pants, before hissing as she burned her tongue on the soup.

For about a month or so, they both agreed for safety reasons that they would stay in cheap hotels, where they knew money kept mouths from talking, and Mortifer would run her to whichever nation they would visit.

After all, Sally's brother and mother had been shot down easily all those years ago when they were supposedly killed, because they were in the royal helicopter. And with them still being in Dingo territory, Sally knew warlords like Eric were just waiting for such an opportunity.

The only reason they stopped at this run down motel in a warzone, was so Mortifer could patch Sally up and let her rest, and his burning legs. Even if the old man running it did snitch them out after being bribed to pretend they weren't there, Mortifer would sense any coming danger.

'When he comes back I'll need to talk to him about that.' Sally mentally reminded herself as she settled into the uncomfortable bed and pulled up a hologram from her gauntlet to update Sonic via messages on her progress, with a few details left out. She didn't need him rushing over here over a minor thing, not when he was dealing with another one of Eggman's stupid plans.

As Mortifer left and shut the door behind him, Sally groaned in annoyance as their, neighbors, began blasting loud party music and whooping. Pulling out her own earbuds Sally promised aloud she would have Mortifer telekinetically crush every audio device next door, before settling in to binge watch her favorite show while eating her soup.

* * *

"Is this where Sally is?" He asked his female companion. He was a very light gray, almost white, hedgehog with white fur on his chest surrounding his neck with gold eyes and tan skin with two large spines at the back of his head, while at the front of his forehead he had five distinct spines flared up and back, with the two final ones covering up most of his ears.

His white gloves with cyan circles with lines sticking out of the bottom leading to his golden bracelets, and his boots were clean despite the mucky weather outside.

The female, a lavender and violet-furred cat with gold eyes, a small black nose and a white-furred muzzle replied. "This is where his secret agent had last reported her at."

She had triangular ears with peach colored canals and a long tail with the end frayed and dark purple. Her fur longer on each side of her head and swept slightly upwards with four plumes of her hair having dark purple tips done up in a high ponytail by a red hair tie, and she also had a red oval gem on her forehead. Though her purple flared coat with coattails and a dark pink hemline, a gold collar and white tights was also dry, it had some mud caked to it along with her white gloves with fuzzy cuffs and high heeled, dark pink shoes with white stripes and fuzzy cuffs, like her gloves. Both slowly approached the motel.

Slotting the change in, Mortifer started the washing machine and watched it spin to make sure it actually worked before turning to go back to their room. He stopped mid step however, upon feeling a cat and hedgehog slowly approaching the motel, and feeling their mouths and the words they formed.

They were after Sally.

'I'll finish this quickly.' Mortifer told himself as he forced his aching joints to move down the hall. Drawing his Royal guard pistol, Mortifer dashed outside within the blink of an eye, catching both off guard as he held his gun against the cat's head.

" _ **Promise me, please, no more killing unless absolutely necessary."**_ Sally's voice echoed in Mortifer's mind, as he hesitated on pulling the trigger.

'Killing these two, is it necessary?'

"Gotcha!" The hedgehog yelled as he used his telekinesis, and the cat moved aside before bursting into flames and melting the pistol barrel.

'Fire...Fire...Fire…' Mortifers body trembled and his eye dilated at the sight of the fire, at the memory of burning alive. Suddenly the cat in his eye, morphed into Metal Sonic.

"Blaze! Look, he has blood on him! I think he got to Sally!" The hedgehog yelled while the cat called Blaze, studied the scars on Mortifer, believing he was a mercenary.

"Let's ask him about it then, Silver." Blaze said.

At this point Mortifer would have realized the mistake going on, that these two weren't enemies, if he hadn't been relapsing his worst memory. Suddenly the melted gun was thrown and hit Silver in the face, and Blaze gasped for air and panicked for a second at her oxygen being cut off as Silver gaped in shock before looking at his hands confused on how he had moved.

Mortifer glared with rage at Blaze as he slowly choked and lifted her up with his cybernetic arm.

Regaining her senses, Blaze lit back up to try and melt the metal arm, but it only caused Mortifer to go deeper into his frenzy and squeeze in an effort to crush her throat.

Focusing, Silver yanked Blaze from Mortifers grasp before ripping apart the damaged buildings around them and slamming it against Mortifer all at once. However, before anything touched Mortifer, it all exploded into pieces. Slowly he turned towards Silver who held a coughing Blaze behind him.

"He has telekinesis too!?" Silver yelled in shock. Rushing towards Silver Mortifer dodged the balls of fire from Blaze and went to strike. Quickly Silver formed his telekinetic shield and prepared for it, before realizing he was still after Blaze. Lowering his shield, Silver reached out telekinetically to attack, but the moment his shield lowered Silver was slammed head first into the ground repeatedly before being thrown through a brick wall.

Shooting a torrent of flames Blaze tried to move back as Mortifer launched forward with speed matching Sonic. Right before he struck, Blaze was suddenly hit hard by a flying Silver who had been knocked out, forcing her to stop her flames so that Silver, who had been slightly burned from her wouldn't get hurt anymore.

Out of nowhere Blaze saw stars when Mortifers fist, that she had forgotten about slammed into her face, blowing her into the Motels brick wall while Mortifers telekinesis indented her body into it.

Holding up Blaze's head with telekinesis Mortifer pulled his hidden Dragoon revolver out, and pulled the hammer back as he took aim.

Blaze tasted the blood from her busted lip and groaned from the pain as her eye started swelling shut. She desperately tried to think up a plan with her disoriented brain.

⭐"Mortifer! Stop!" Sally shouted as she hobbled towards Blaze, using her energy sword as a crutch. Had it not been for the building shaking, Sally would have never noticed anything going on.

"They're friends! Don't shoot!" Putting herself between them, Sally noticed the look in Mortifer's eye, and hurried to him. "Your in a flashback Mortifer! Snap out of it!" 'Blaze's fire, that has to be it.' Sally told herself, and stopped in front of Mortifer, the gun now directly against her chest.

Grabbing the pistol, Sally slowly forced it down, then put their heads together as she made his eye focus on her.

"Listen...just listen." Sally whispered. The pistol clattered on the ground as Mortifer placed his trembling hands on Sally's face.

'Sally...shouldn't be down here, I sent her up! I know I sent her up before me and Woodstock started.-' The thought of Woodstocks name, snapped Mortifer out of it as he remembered, his brother had been dead.

"It's okay Mortifer, let it out." Sally told him gently.

'He's dead, Woodstock, is still dead.' Taking ragged breaths, Mortifer hugged Sally as tears escaped his only eye. 'My family is still dead.'

"Come on, we gotta get them inside too." Sally whispered and patted Mortifer's back.

Nodding slowly, Mortifer grabbed Blaze and Silver, dragging them inside while giving Sally his shoulder for support.

One of the many thoughts that was running through Sally's head, was that her trip had just gotten more complicated with her friends unexpected visit.

"I'm still here for you, Mortifer. I'm still here." Sally reassured Mortifer with a sad smile.

Once again, he had shattered.

 **A/N: Next chapter will focus more on fluff n stuff most likely. I also changed the poll to a new one for you readers to decide on a character if romance was ever involved. If it is at some point, I got no idea how it will turn out since I've never written a story focused on romance before...**


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